The present invention generally relates to aircraft landing gear and more particularly pertains to landing gear with adjustable ride height.
In the design of an aircraft having engines mounted under the wing, the landing gear must be sufficiently long in order to provide adequate engine ground clearance. Additional length allows the engine inlets to be designed for more economical operation in flight (i.e. less drag) and the engines themselves would be less prone to damage during on-ground operations due to the ingestion of FOD (Foreign Object Damage). However, a longer landing gear adds considerable weight and some expense to the aircraft. This is particularly true when modifying an existing aircraft design to stretch the fuselage or add larger diameter engines, etc., because revising an existing landing gear configuration in order to gain length would be extremely expensive as well as add considerable weight.
It is therefore desirable to be able to temporarily lengthen a landing gear for purposes such as liftoff rotation or engine ground clearance without actually making the landing gear itself larger or heavier. Additionally, it would desirable to be able to temporarily lengthen the landing gear without adversely affecting its spring rate.